by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Top Colleges ranking.
After analyzing 2,152 schools in the United States, we came up with our list of those that offered the highest quality education. Our ranking methodology focuses on over 20 different objective factors - such as graduation rate, post graduate earnings, and a school's average expenditure per student - to make this determination.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Learn more about these excellent schools below: Massachusetts Institute of Technology tops this year’s ranking as the best school in the United States for overall quality. Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 3 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from MIT make an average of $143,372 per year during the early years of their career. The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the United States. The 4-year grad rate at the school is 86%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UPenn make an average of $111,371 per year during the early years of their career. You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2025 Best Colleges in the United States list. The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 91%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UChicago is $91,885 during the early years of their career. Out of the 2,152 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #4 spot on the list. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard is $101,817 during the early years of their career. A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges in the United States list means Northwestern University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern make an average of $89,363 per year during the early years of their career.1
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Johns Hopkins University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 89%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $87,555 during the early years of their career..
Duke University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #7. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $97,800 during the early years of their career.. Carnegie Mellon University landed the #8 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon go into careers with an average salary of $114,862 during the early years of their career. Cornell University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. During the early years of their career, graduates from Cornell make an average of $104,043 a year. Stanford University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Stanford go into careers with an average salary of $124,080 during the early years of their career.7
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With a ranking of #11, Georgetown University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the United States list.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 90%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown make an average of $103,494 per year during the early years of their career.
Dartmouth College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $97,434 during the early years of their career.. University of Southern California landed the #13 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from USC go into careers with an average salary of $92,498 during the early years of their career. With a ranking of #14, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the United States list. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $92,446 during the early years of their career.. Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Columbia make an average of $102,491 a year.12
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New York University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from NYU make an average of $82,509 a year.
Boston College landed the #17 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. The 4-year grad rate at the school is 89%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Boston College make an average of $103,937 a year. Vanderbilt University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 88%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Vanderbilt make an average of $91,565 a year. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #19. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Georgia Tech make an average of $102,772 a year. Read full report on Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Yale University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. The student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $100,533 during the early years of their career..17
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Washington University in St Louis ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 88%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from WUSTL make an average of $86,182 a year.
With a ranking of #22, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the United States list. Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 81%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $83,648 during the early years of their career.. Boston University landed the #23 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 84%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Boston U is $83,238 during the early years of their career. Bentley University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Bentley make an average of $120,959 per year during the early years of their career. George Washington University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from GWU make an average of $90,873 per year during the early years of their career.22
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Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 20% of this year’s ranking:26
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To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:Rank College Location 51 Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA 52 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA 53 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA 54 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 55 University of California - Davis Davis, CA 56 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 57 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 58 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 59 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA 60 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA 61 American University Washington, DC 62 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY 63 Pepperdine University Malibu, CA 64 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 65 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 316 | Rasmussen University - Wisconsin | Green Bay, WI |
| 317 | University of New Haven | West Haven, CT |
| 318 | Grinnell College | Grinnell, IA |
| 319 | Maryville University of Saint Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| 320 | Tallahassee Community College | Tallahassee, FL |
| 321 | Sacred Heart University | Fairfield, CT |
| 322 | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 323 | Rider University | Lawrenceville, NJ |
All Majors and Fields of Study >
These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges ranking:Rank College Location 324 D’Youville College Buffalo, NY 325 Mitchell Community College Statesville, NC 326 Alamance Community College Graham, NC 327 Suffolk County Community College Selden, NY 328 Augusta Technical College Augusta, GA 329 Columbia International University Columbia, SC 330 Winona State University Winona, MN 331 Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA 332 Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA 333 Kenyon College Gambier, OH 334 Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA 335 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND 336 Macalester College Saint Paul, MN 337 Shenandoah University Winchester, VA 338 Chippewa Valley Technical College Eau Claire, WI
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 339 | Central Washington University | Ellensburg, WA |
| 340 | Drake University | Des Moines, IA |
| 341 | William Paterson University of New Jersey | Wayne, NJ |
| 342 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 343 | Pace University - New York | New York, NY |
| 344 | Widener University | Chester, PA |
| 345 | Rowan University | Glassboro, NJ |
| 346 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 347 | Johnson County Community College | Overland Park, KS |
| 348 | Aurora University | Aurora, IL |
| 349 | Academy of Art University | San Francisco, CA |
| 350 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 351 | Marymount Manhattan College | New York, NY |
| 352 | Hilbert College | Hamburg, NY |
| 353 | Lancaster Bible College | Lancaster, PA |
| 354 | Santiago Canyon College | Orange, CA |
| 355 | Miami Dade College | Miami, FL |
| 356 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | Boston, MA |
| 357 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 358 | SUNY Oneonta | Oneonta, NY |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 359 | Denison University | Granville, OH |
| 360 | Florida State College at Jacksonville | Jacksonville, FL |
| 361 | Bennington College | Bennington, VT |
| 362 | St Catherine University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 363 | Rio Hondo College | Whittier, CA |
| 364 | Dickinson College | Carlisle, PA |
| 365 | Vincennes University | Vincennes, IN |
| 366 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus | Stillwater, OK |
| 367 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 368 | Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, NY |
| 369 | University of Houston | Houston, TX |
| 370 | Lake Washington Institute of Technology | Kirkland, WA |
| 371 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 372 | University of California - Merced | Merced, CA |
| 373 | Golden West College | Huntington Beach, CA |
| 374 | University of Redlands | Redlands, CA |
| 375 | Essex County College | Newark, NJ |
| 376 | Wallace Community College, Dothan | Dothan, AL |
| 377 | Butler University | Indianapolis, IN |
| 378 | Central Georgia Technical College | Warner Robins, GA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 379 | Dominican University of California | San Rafael, CA |
| 380 | University of Wisconsin - La Crosse | La Crosse, WI |
| 381 | Portland Community College | Portland, OR |
| 382 | North Dakota State University - Main Campus | Fargo, ND |
| 383 | The Master’s University and Seminary | Santa Clarita, CA |
| 384 | Columbus Technical College | Columbus, GA |
| 385 | National Louis University | Chicago, IL |
| 386 | Collin County Community College District | McKinney, TX |
| 387 | Fox Valley Technical College | Appleton, WI |
| 388 | Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs, NY |
| 389 | Weber State University | Ogden, UT |
| 390 | Bellevue University | Bellevue, NE |
| 391 | St Lawrence University | Canton, NY |
| 392 | Monmouth University | West Long Branch, NJ |
| 393 | The University of Arizona Global Campus | San Diego, CA |
| 394 | Russell Sage College | Troy, NY |
| 395 | Springfield College | Springfield, MA |
| 396 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
| 397 | Smith College | Northampton, MA |
| 398 | Endicott College | Beverly, MA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 399 | Portland State University | Portland, OR |
| 400 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 401 | Appalachian State University | Boone, NC |
| 402 | Central Lakes College - Brainerd | Brainerd, MN |
| 403 | Arizona State University - Skysong | Scottsdale, AZ |
| 404 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Geneva, NY |
| 405 | Clark University | Worcester, MA |
| 406 | University of Vermont | Burlington, VT |
| 407 | Wheaton College Illinois | Wheaton, IL |
| 408 | Des Moines Area Community College | Ankeny, IA |
| 409 | Brandman University | Irvine, CA |
| 410 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | Charleston, SC |
| 411 | Pacific University | Forest Grove, OR |
| 412 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 413 | University of Detroit Mercy | Detroit, MI |
| 414 | Community College of Baltimore County | Baltimore, MD |
| 415 | University of North Carolina at Wilmington | Wilmington, NC |
| 416 | Front Range Community College | Westminster, CO |
| 417 | Kettering University | Flint, MI |
| 418 | DePauw University | Greencastle, IN |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 419 | Benedictine University | Lisle, IL |
| 420 | Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego, CA |
| 421 | University of Louisville | Louisville, KY |
| 422 | City University of Seattle | Seattle, WA |
| 423 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott | Prescott, AZ |
| 424 | Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology | Lancaster, PA |
| 425 | South Dakota State University | Brookings, SD |
| 426 | Nassau Community College | Garden City, NY |
| 427 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 428 | Florida SouthWestern State College | Fort Myers, FL |
| 429 | Mount Mary University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 430 | Northeast Wisconsin Technical College | Green Bay, WI |
| 431 | Georgia State University-Perimeter College | Atlanta, GA |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.